[inwester]

Originally Posted by Starfire

I remember in 2012, a Mercedes C200 CGI costed 32.07 lakh ex-showroom. Today a C200 costs 55 lakh ex-showroom. Thats an increase of 23 lakhs in a decade (you can call it a cool 42% increase or simple put the price of a new Toyota Innova).

I'm assuming you meant that's a 72% increase.

[josetom89]

The real culprit behind all these obnoxious prices are the taxes. A quick glance at the price after deducting the GST shall render you sane. Over this you have state road taxes which makes your price jump segments.

[abhatt]

People paying for all these cars which are half priced in international markets are simply paying for the brand which further helps government take money from those who don't mind splurging it.

Not that I can buy it today but even if I were able to, I am not sure if I would unless I get a good deal on these or a used one.

I have similar thoughts on travelling business class too. Not sure why I am sharing this here though.

[M00M]

Originally Posted by veedub89

I am curious about that actually.
Ever since Merc got in this new D2C business model, have the discounts gone up or down? Or has this new approach standardised discounts across the country on specific models?

As per some insiders at one of the dealerships, MB India is considering to completely do away with discounts in India. Now discussions are on going whether what change that would bring to their sales. While majority of us agree that the pricing of MB India products has gone haywire I would like to share some observations that I had recently.

I was at a local car "show" and brands like MB, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Aston, Lexus, Volvo, Mini were in attendance with one or two niche products. I was there to see the Lexus NX350h and I happened to overhear one gentleman who was being shown the ES300h. The sales person cordially told him that he can arrange a drive of the ES if the man was interested, but the man was like I only want MB E Class and nothing else. The sales guy told him Sir, take a test drive, see the rear legroom, plus hybrid performance, plus interior ambience etc, but the man refused flat out infact very rudely he just walked out, he was least interested in anything else even though his young son was going to every booth and seeing every car. Now herd mentality that we have is giving ammunition to MB India to continue raising prices as these kind of people are not even willing to test drive another product and then compare notes on their merit.

Originally Posted by josetom89

The real culprit behind all these obnoxious prices are the taxes. A quick glance at the price after deducting the GST shall render you sane. Over this you have state road taxes which makes your price jump segments.

I completely disagree with you.

1. GST has been fixed since whatever juggling they did at the starting and after that the GST is fixed and not changed.

2. New car - so I understand new parts and new costs but does that warrant that the price keeps going up and up and up ? I mean when the forex dropped in the middle, did they reduce prices ? Ofcourse not.

3. Few RTO and local taxes may have changed but that do not warrant a jump of this magnitude in their product prices.

I was talking with the sales manager at one of the dealerships, in 2020 the E 220 d exclusive was selling for 65 on road, today it is 85-86. I asked him if he would advice me to buy the E or another Lexus (as the C is more expensive than the ES300h) if I had to, he said buy the Lexus. Even he agrees that prices of MB India are ridiculous and only die hard brand crazy people are egging MB India on. Ruining the market for everyone else.
Today every product of theirs is above 50 on road. No A no GLA nothing is below 50. Crazy and insane behaviour from MB India.

Sorry for the off topic post.

[Turbanator]

Whether it's Mercedes or BMW, or Toyota, all the in-demand brands are having a killing. An increase in overheads is a reason, but it mostly maximises profits.

I asked the MB dealer about C Class delivery. He is non-commital, citing extreme interest and lower availability; then I asked a known Toyota dealer about Tatkal Fortuner as aptly put by a fellow member, the current backlog of Fortuner on specific 4x4 variants now stretches as high as December. So Toyota has intelligently launched a new vehicle at a super high price, and this variant will be easier/ faster to get as Toyota will be maximising the sale.

[androdev]

Luxury segment is not price conscious. In fact, India gets lower allotment than demand for most of the luxury products from reputed brands.

The discount season prevailed during a time when companies were agressively trying to expand the marketbase with the expectation that Indian economy would see a large growth. Very bullish inventory management. Such expectations are reset and companies are also focusing on margins instead of volume. Inventory is controlled to near perfection. Supply chain issues and weak rupee, etc. are other contributing factors.

All these factors are coming together as the perfect storm for the aspirational buyer. The really strong brands like Mercedes, Toyota, Porsche, etc. can easily meet their modest targets just by catering to ultra HNIs.

The elephant in the room is the lack of growth in our economy. We have stagnated and the world is passing by us.

[vineet1712]

What will you choose if price is same for 330i and c300!!
I recently moved to US and about to finalise my first car. I had my vento 1.6 for last 1 decade which served me well in India and now I am contemplating between 330i and c300 both are almost at same price point of 45-46k USD.
Need suggestion which one we should go for and some suggestions.
I know how 330i rides but have no clue about c300 since test drive vehicles are not available in Dallas as of today. I really need to decide in next couple of days.

[shreyasmrao]

I had the C220 D (W205) Karl Benz Edition as a corporate lease. I have now booked the new C220 D and will have to wait for delivery as I want the Cavansite Blue or Obsidian Black which will only be available by July.

I booked this over the 320 Ld despite being a 6ft guy as the additional features were significant including the Sun blinds etc., and the fact that BMW was pulling out features like the 360° Cam, Wireless charging etc.

PS: CD of 2.25L is all I could manage